Blog
Not all who have been called to engage in spiritual warfare will assume their position in the battle. Some no longer believe such battles exist. They have stepped away from the conflict abdicating their role in defending truth. God is calling those with a willing...
The enemy of our soul has laid before us booby traps of deception. These spiritual booby traps appeal to our pride and naivety. Pride leads us into a place of vulnerability and then our naivety has us open the door to a well-planned attack that can take us out because...
Increasingly, Jan and I are turning off TV shows we began to watch on Netflix or Amazon in hopes of enjoying some simple entertainment. Some of these shows began to reveal content that left us feeling slimed. If we didn't make a choice to stop watching it would soil...
About thirty years ago, I was a young pastor sitting in a long and spirited business meeting during our yearly denominational convention. A topic on the agenda was getting some heated response from the floor of the convention body. My pastor, Roy Hicks,...
We all have the tendency to try and distance ourselves from the places of our greatest weakness. Somewhere in our journey of faith we discover a hidden gem of truth - our weak places are where God promises to do His most powerful work. Jesus revealed this gem of truth...
(The following is Chapter 45 from my book, The Leadership Rock. Today, I felt a nudge that a pastor, someone in business or anyone leading something somewhere needed this encouragement.) Twenty years ago, I sat in a large convention center with several thousand...
Where I live in southern Oregon we have something called the Bear Creek Greenway. The Greenway is a nature corridor that follows Bear Creek as it winds its way through the beautiful Rogue Valley. Part of the Greenway is a paved bike path that travels 20 miles...
Forty years ago, I was a young police officer trained as a Hostage Negotiator. The new and developing science of hostage negotiation was beginning to find a place in many large metropolitan police agencies across the nation. As negotiators, we were sent...
As a young pastor, I once heard an older pastor say, "If something is public, deal with it publicly. If it is private, deal with it privately." That seasoned and wise leader was helping younger pastors learn how to deal with disruptions that can take place in a...
Living in Europe afforded me a unique opportunity to view my American life and culture through a variety of different perspectives. I remember one conversation when a man was bad-mouthing the United States. I don’t normally seek to correct people, but I...
For some of you the last season of your life has resembled Paul’s stormy passage at sea. You were aboard ship held captive because of the calling on your life. In route to a new season you encountered a storm that has put everything in jeopardy. Like the...
As a father in the faith, I find myself viewing the Church from that perspective. This kind of assignment slips up on you by mere time in rank and age. The realization I was a spiritual father first visited me about 10 years ago and has deepened its...
You are entering a strategic season. In this season your primary task will be to make sure you are properly aligned with the coming wind of the Spirit. This alignment will position you to move forward when the wind begins to blow. As a sailing vessel adjusts it's...
When Jan and I began dating in 1970, we were both students at what is known today as Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon. I was carrying 17 units at school and working full time at Elmer’s restaurant as a cook. I lived in a dirt floor basement of an...
As you journey through life you will hear people speak of human potential. Every human has natural potential, but this potential is not where the greatest breakthroughs occur because our human potential is limited by human intellect and ability. As you...